Why your mobile website should not be a duplicate
With the way the world is changing, soon everyone will be doing most of their shopping using their smartphones. Google knows this and has decided to really buck the trend.
Now, we’re seeing that the tech giant is backing smartphone-friendly websites more than desktop websites when it comes to browsing and search results. It’s not hard to see why either, as a mobile website is much easier to comprehend for those on Android and IOS platforms. It just doesn’t make sense for tiny font and smaller images to be on the screen.
This is quite clearly because the phones are trying to load up the entire page, meaning we have to pinch to zoom if we want to see anything clearly. Hence why, mobile versions of websites are needed for those that want to shop while on the move. Now that over 50% of searches are done using smartphones, no businesses that wants to keep it’s head above the water can ignore their need for a mobile website of their desktop site. But don’t make the cardinal mistake of creating more of the same because it just won’t work.
Be tactful and sharp
The biggest issue for the budding entrepreneur is, functionality when it comes to their website. For example, they need it to be responsive, quick, smooth and reliable. Don’t forget people are on their smartphones and usually when they’re using these devices to shop, they’re commuting or waiting to get on the move. Your time is limited, so use a responsive setup or framework that will simplify and hasten navigation. The typical tried and tested thing to do is to use a grid system. It’s easy to understand on your end and it’s easy to implement. What this does is essentially divide the page up into squares. For each square you can then choose what to put inside it such as video, images, text or audio files.
This makes your website tactful, and gives space to each part of your website. For example if someone is reading the product description of your product, they might want to pinch and zoom in. if there’s an image very close to the text, they could accidentally tap onto that and they are then perhaps on another page if that image is linked. Standard practice says you should be linking images anyway so the potentially to get frustrated is high. However with a grid design you also have a sharp looking website. Everything is neat, organised, spacious and easy to absorb at a glance. Looking at a typical desktop version of a website, there’s more information and other content closer together because on a monitor it doesn’t look crowded and with a mouse you can be far more accurate with your clicks.
Referencing other importance
The challenges of SEO optimisation live on in the mobile world as well. It’s clear to see that some similarities can cross over to this platform. Just because people are using their smartphones to shop doesn’t mean they’re all in a hurry. Some shoppers really do want to spend some time to get to know you more. Therefore they might want to read your blog posts and see what your business is all about. They also might want to ready about your business in the ‘about us’ page as well as product descriptions and your policies. Picture someone sitting at the airport for the next 3 hours, and they stumble upon your business of which they are greatly intrigued. Now it’s your time to create content which will convert their simple curiosity to buying something and becoming a fan.
How do you do this on a small smartphone screen? Well, you need the tactic of persuasion and speaking with authority. This translates to great backlinking in your posts and generally, all around your website. Consider speaking to an SEO Agency which knows all about off-page optimisation. Google will rank your website higher when you use trust and authority in your content. Are you making a claim in your content? Then link it to a trusted authority such as a news media company. Maybe you aren’t using a material in your products that your rivals are and it turns out, that material is a health hazard. You can point this out to consumers and link such an article explaining this in your content. Thus, you are backing up your claims of superior product design with a trusted news source. Google will pat you on the back and raise you higher in the ranks.
Not just for customers
Mobile-friendly websites are not just for customers, they’re also for clients. You never ever know who is sat on a plane somewhere, just browsing around. They happen to come upon your website and they’re fully intrigued. It turns out they work in your industry and field. They also believe in the same ethos. What if they want to contact you, to set up a meeting whereby they could offer to become a partner, how could they go about doing this? Well, it’s not rocket science right? They can just swipe down to the very bottom of the page they’re on and look for your number. Then they can pinch to zoom in, then they will need to slowly move their fingers over it to copy and paste it into their call app, right?
Wrong! You need a simpler way for customers and clients to call you straight from your mobile version. Therefore you should have a reasonably sized call icon which they can tap and immediately have their phone begin calling you. It’s simple, easy and fast. With this kind of UX design feature, you can bring customers and clients closer to you with minimal fuss. This click-to-call feature is quickly becoming the norm for small and large businesses.
One cannot try and make their desktop website the exact same for smartphones. For one the operating system is different whereby IOS and Android will have their own coding and capabilities. It’s best to use a simple grid system which allows users of all smartphones to absorb information quickly and avoid butterfinger-like taps.
